Obesity with chronic inflammation has a large and growing population. This population clearly has a high cardiovascular and diabetes risk and frequently develops metabolic syndrome with insulin resistance. Recently adiponectin and other adipokines have been discovered as fat cell hormones that control glucose metabolism. Both type and location of fat cells are important. Obesity produces additional adipocytes which secrete adiponectin into the blood helping muscle cell metabolism of fats and glucose. Some overweight patients become insulin resistant. In this case, adipocytes stop producing adiponectin. Levels of adiponectin in the blood are decreased under conditions of obesity, insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Methods exist for measuring adiponectin levels in subjects for the prognosis of these and other disease states. Measurement of adiponectin levels, however, has proven to be a weak indicator of disease. A need exists for better methods of monitoring disease states associated with abnormal adipocyte activity. The present invention provides this and other needs.